Plasmas
”Pioneer's 2008 Kuro Line: Thinner Blacker Plasmas and an LCOS Projector But No LCDs
Today Pioneer is revealing its official 2008 Kuro TV lineup for the US. As we expected from European announcements, it includes second-generation Kuro plasmas—thinner, with five-times-deeper black levels than the first critically acclaimed Kuro plasma—and a Kuro-branded LCOS projector originally developed by JVC. What's missing here are the smaller-sized Kuro LCDs that Pioneer is offering European flat-panel shoppers. Here's the full product rundown, plus the reason for the missing LCD piece of the puzzle:
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Panasonic's Hot 85U Series Plasma Reviewed by CNet: Very Black, Not Better Than Pioneer's Kuro
CNet's David Katzmaier eats, breathes and shits Giant Plasmas, so when he reviewed Panasonic's 85 series plasmas, their best until the 800 and 850s come out, I noticed. In a nutshell, the 46-inch (yes, 46-inch) 1080p set's 30,000:1 contrast ratio gives it some of the blackest blacks he's ever seen...but unfortunately, still not as black as a Pioneer Kuro, although close. More »Pioneer's 2nd Gen Kuro Plasma HDTVs Revealed... in Europe
We can't totally figure this out, but we're trying: Pioneer Europe just promised to ship second-generation Kuro plasmas as early as June, yep TVs stated by the company to be five times better than the "best TV ever," the current Kuro plasmas. Pioneer US says that it will be announcing plasmas soon, but that its lineup will be "different" than the Euro plasma lineup seen here, understandable since these have DVB and other Eurotech not found in US TVs. More »
tvs
Pioneer Calls Plasma Biz Reports "Inaccurate"
Regarding recent stories that Pioneer may cease manufacturing its own plasma TVs, and presumably in doing so kill off the critically acclaimed Kuro TV line, the company's North American division has this to say:The current press coverage was not released by Pioneer so it may be misleading and contains many inaccuracies.More »
industry
Pioneer to End 42-Inch Plasma Display Production
Pioneer is ending its production of 42-inch plasma displays, as the company hopes to focus all its attention on producing 50-inch models instead. Specifically, Pioneer will be closing the Kagoshima plant in Japan by March 2009, when it will then be put up for sale. So, if you're interested in a factory producing 42-inch displays, you're in luck. Pioneer will continue selling the smaller units, but will purchase parts from Hitachi to meet the demand for sub 50-inch plasmas. [Reuters]
tvs
Sony #1 in LCD; Biggest Names Hold Fast, But Cheap-o Brands Taking Out Weaker Competition
Last quarter was an all-out TV-maker battle, and you my friends were the territory. DisplaySearch's results for Q4 '07 declared the victor in the US LCD category to be Sony for the very first time. Panasonic handily crushed all comers in the smaller US plasma race. Samsung, with strong #2 finishes in both, ended up remaining the #1 overall TV brand in the country, and LG also held its own. But... More »The Weight Is Over: Extra-Thin TVs Hit the Scales
This year's CES TV competition wasn't about how big TVs could be, but how thin they could get. Samsung, JVC, Hitachi, Panasonic, Sharp, Pioneer and developer LG.Philips were all showing off their rendition of belt-tightening in the flat-panel age. Some of you perceptively noted that up against a wall, inside a cabinet or on a stand, a 1" thick TV looks the same as a 20" thick TV, let alone a 5" thick set, so like big frickin' deal. We're with you. The truth is, while thin is sexy, the untold story is how much less this new crop of TVs will weigh. Both LCD and plasma will weigh substantially less in the coming years. How much less? Plasma will definitely drop more than LCD, but in both cases, the weight loss is astonishing. Jump for awesome chart:
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We Test Drive the First 3D Plasma Screen Ever, From Samsung
Samsung built the first 3D plasma screen for giving that added dimension to gaming and movies, and the test drive was promising, if not earth shattering. You of course need goggles for the full experience, unlike some of those 3D LCDs that actually send different images to each of your eyes. This is more like the 3D rear-projection TVs we've seen from Samsung, Mitsubishi and others, which use DLP technology to flicker alternating left-eye and right-eye video feeds. This is, of course, flat. And probably a hell of a lot more expensive, if it ever ships. Video by Curtis Walker [Samsung]Attempted Wanton Destruction of a Panasonic Plasma Screen
Back in Panasonic's secret demo room at CES 2008, they're showing off a stress test where they slam a metal ball into a plasma with one joule of energy, and see if the screen will smash up. (Guess what? They've also run the test on LCDs.) Videography by Curtis Walker
ces 2008
Father of Plasma Saves Middle Earth, Predicts Plasma-Screen Laptops
We bumped into Larry Weber, the shaggy professor mainly responsible for the invention of the plasma TV in the 1960s. He's got a lot to say about his latest project, mostly too technical for our hurting little brains. Here's the skinny: More »
eavesdropping
Overheard at CES: How You Ship a 150-Inch Plasma
"If we get bigger than 150, we might have to go with Airbus."
Heard in: Panasonic booth...an exec saying how they could only fit one of its prototype 150-inch plasmas in a Boeing 747 cargo hold—and only just barely.
Video: 150-Inch Panasonic Plasma Looks Even Bigger Up Close
Panasonic finally raised the curtain on their 150-inch Plasma, and its a beauty. Panasonic did a good job of keeping the TV under wraps until now. Once the curtain dropped, the photographers flocked and the plasma was drowned in flashes. It's amazing how much more immersive the plasma is even compared to Panasonic's 103-inch TV. Movie theaters should start to worry. Check out the video and gallery of the 4096x2160 resolution display and prepare to drool like we did at first glance.Holy Crap: First 150-Inch Plasma Photos
Live from the Panasonic keynote, the 150-Inch plasma's first details are here, along with blurry shots:•2k x 4k res, 4x the res of 1080p
•50% less power use via double luminance efficiency — big deal on a set this big.
•You can't afford this.
More details from an interview with Panasonic:
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Battlemodo: Pioneer Super-Black Kuro Concept Duels Best TV Ever... and Wins
Pioneer execs shuffle us into a dark room, reveal the most critically acclaimed TV made, and then unveil a TV that can kick its ass on contrast. Yes, Pioneer's current Kuro—the "best flat-panel ever"—was shedding light like a sumbitch next to Pioneer's concept Kuro, whose black literally emits no light. So here it is, a strange Battlemodo pitting the super-hot 8th-gen Pioneer plasma against its own future self. [Pioneer at CES 2008]
Pioneer 9mm-Thin Concept Plasma Ogled From All Angles
We just got an exclusive look at the super-thin 9mm Kuro plasma concept from Pioneer, and frankly it's hard to believe that it's real at all. It's holy-smokes thin—yes, even thinner than an iPhone. Even at the center where it balloons out to a whopping 18mm or so, it's still, you know, Kate Moss. How soon until you get one of these in your house? Not soon enough, amigo. So for now, it's just you and these sweet sweet pics. Go ahead and drool. We'll leave the room. [Pioneer CES 2008]Samsung High End Plasma: Series 7 Getting Ethernet and Amber Tinged Frames
The Catch: Samsung's high end 1080p plasma line comes in three sizes, 50, 58, and 63-inches. The press release is thin on specs but its got the ethernet port for RSS downloads of stock, and weather info. There are four HDMI 1.3 inputs. The chassis has that same amber tint the LCDs have, called TOC and the video processing has been improved in distracted way.
The Catch: If you're getting a plasma, I'd get a Pioneer or Panasonic.
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Samsung built the first 3D plasma screen for giving that added dimension to gaming and movies, and the test drive was promising, if not earth shattering. You of course need goggles for the full experience, unlike some of those 3D LCDs that actually send different images to each of your eyes. This is more like the 3D rear-projection TVs we've seen from Samsung, Mitsubishi and others, which use DLP technology to flicker alternating left-eye and right-eye video feeds. This is, of course, flat. And probably a hell of a lot more expensive, if it ever ships. Video by
Back in Panasonic's secret demo room at